MN state gov shuts down, 49 to go

[cindy25]

this will hurt Pawlenty and Bachmann

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/minnesota-shutdown-2011_n_888363.html

[A. Havnes]

The public parks are shutting down, too, I think.

[Matthew Zak]

Ha, it shut down? No wonder I woke up in such a good mood. :)

[YumYum]

The public parks are shutting down, too, I think.

Now would be a good time for Minnesota to sell its state parks.

[iamse7en]

But they can still collect my taxes? Bogus shutdown!

[chudrockz]

Yeah, we're all shut down here. I was so bummed when I stopped at Super America on the way to work this morning. I couldn't buy lottery tickets!

[acptulsa]

Yeah, we're all shut down here. I was so bummed when I stopped at Super America on the way to work this morning. I couldn't buy lottery tickets!

lulz

This is bad because we're depending to a great degree on 'let the states handle it', and this undermines confidence in that. But, as a libertarian, one can't help but enjoy seeing the sun come up over Minnesota and the people go about their business. And one can't help but feel vindicated that this is one of the most liberal states in the Union. There's a lot more money there than here, but Oklahoma continues to struggle along...

[chudrockz]

I actually do feel a bit for the campers over the 4th weekend. All the state parks are closed now, so anyone with camping reservations is SOL. Too bad, really.

[Dr.3D]

I actually do feel a bit for the campers over the 4th weekend. All the state parks are closed now, so anyone with camping reservations is SOL. Too bad, really.

Well, if it's really shut down, who is going to keep people from camping anyway? LOL

[chudrockz]

True, but many of the state parks have nifty little rental "cabins" and those have locks on 'em.....

[Travlyr]

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) and top Republican state lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal to avert a government shutdown ahead of a midnight (CST) deadline.

"I really believe I've done everything I possibly could and offered everything I could possibly think of," said Dayton addressing the state of the negotiations from his office on Thursday night. "This is a night of deep sorrow for me because I don't want to see this shutdown occur."

Did you try honest money, Governor? Or did you not think of that?

[Michael Landon]

Well, if it's really shut down, who is going to keep people from camping anyway? LOL

Apparently the "law enforcement officers" are still working, the DNR, State Patrol, etc...

I'm thinking about ending my withholding on my state taxes. It's bullshit that they can keep collecting taxes.

- ML

[chudrockz]

I was curious about the state patrol. Glad to know in advance they'll still be keeping the "roads safe" (ie handing out speeding and seat belt tickets) while I'll be travelling a great deal this weekend.

[Dr.3D]

Apparently the "law enforcement officers" are still working, the DNR, State Patrol, etc...

I'm thinking about ending my withholding on my state taxes. It's bullshit that they can keep collecting taxes.

- ML
Well, all of those things that are still working are exactly what would keep the park running in the first place. Sounds to me, all this is more like a show to make people think something needs to be done.

[newyearsrevolution08]

Who goes camping in lockable cabins and how is that considered camping? Either way, on the states taking care of themselves and it not looking good. With the amount we have spent AS states we will go through a state of collapse to liquidate the states debt and will be a pain for a bit until it comes back NATURALLY.

If you are hoping for some amazingly fast rebound then remember the only way that happens is with artificial inflation which is what got us here in the first place.

I see a hurting city/state as going through what it needs to get better whether it looks that way or not. If we overspent as a household and fucked our credit up and had NO cash to bail our bills out what would we do to fix it? You have to eat less, buy less, spend less, maybe sell off stuff to pay current and past debt.

Its what needs to happen and I don't know how many people are actually ready or capable of dealing with it.

[manny229]

Well, all of those things that are still working are exactly what would keep the park running in the first place. Sounds to me, all this is more like a show to make people think something needs to be done.

+ Rep

[chudrockz]

[QUOTE=newyearsrevolution08;3373950]Who goes camping in lockable cabins and how is that considered camping?

It IS kinda cheating, I'll admit. But each of the past two weeks of Memorial Day I've stayed in one in Bear Head Lake state park and they're really pretty nice.

Edit: they'd be pretty nice being privately funded/ run also. :)

[sailingaway]

California is closing a bunch of parks, as well. Turning the lights off on the little league field, as Rand would say. Not that we don't need austerity, but they pick their spots for a reason. There are huge cuts they could make that people would cheer, such as in magnet subsidies for illegal immigration, but they aren't going to touch those. In fact they are talking about extending California education GRANTS to illegal immigrants, not just in state tuition. For those paying for that it is pretty unfair since people working under the table have whatever income on paper that they want to have, and those grants are 'need based'.

In any event, I don't know that those subsidies would be enough to save the system if cut, but when they are increased, instead of cut, it sure looks like the legislature and Governor are playing games.

They want voters to approve tax hikes.

And Brown just put sales tax on Amazon which immediately disaffiliated from its California affiliates. California is not exactly business friendly, and if we would address that, a lot would follow.

[Ninja Homer]

Who goes camping in lockable cabins and how is that considered camping?

It's Minnesota... those cabins are nice when it's February and -25 F out.

Shutting down state parks is just a ploy, like shutting down the little league lights. State parks charge money, and I think they pay for themselves for the most part. In fact, state parks usually cost more to camp at (or even just visit for the day) than private campgrounds. Personally, I stopped camping at state parks when they started banning alcohol within the park. Who the hell goes camping without drinking a few beers?

[osan]

this will hurt Pawlenty and Bachmann

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/minnesota-shutdown-2011_n_888363.html

And of course just now on CNN they were focusing on the po' po' government workers and a po' po' single mother on welfare who wasn't gonta get she check no' mo'.

Jeeez...

[chudrockz]

It's Minnesota... those cabins are nice when it's February and -25 F out.

Shutting down state parks is just a ploy, like shutting down the little league lights. State parks charge money, and I think they pay for themselves for the most part. In fact, state parks usually cost more to camp at (or even just visit for the day) than private campgrounds. Personally, I stopped camping at state parks when they started banning alcohol within the park. Who the hell goes camping without drinking a few beers?

Holy SHEEPSHIT. I didn't know they banned alcohol in the state parks! Ooopsies! :)

[Danke]

Two Twin Cities' parents took their children to child care facilities as usual Friday, but worried about the weeks to come if a state government shutdown lingers. Courtney Bissener needs state child care assistance payments to put her three kids in child care this summer while she works as a radiologic technologist at a north metro clinic. Those assistance payments were deemed non-essential, though, and were halted today with the government shutdown.

Northside Child Development Center took her kids (ages 6, 4 and 1) today, and its leaders are discussing if (or how long) they can subsidize families who receive state child care support. Bissener, 22, is nervous. She earned a college degree in December and finally secured full-time work that could now be in jeopardy if she can't afford child care.

[Romulus]

Well, all of those things that are still working are exactly what would keep the park running in the first place. Sounds to me, all this is more like a show to make people think something needs to be done.

Mmmm Hmmm... thinly veiled threats...

[White Bear Lake]

Keep it shutdown. The GOP offered to raise spending 6% to match the 6% increase in taxes over the last two years. Dayton and the DFL socialists threw a hissy fit and insisted that anything less than a 24% spending raise is a "draconian cut". Obviously the Strib and Pioneer Press have been trolling out propaganda pieces about oh how much pain those evil conservatives are causing to the "little guy" because they only care about the richest 2%. It's sickening.

The government workers having been stealing Minnesotans money for over a century. And the sad thing is, they all have sweet union deals the require the state to pay them reimbursement of 1.5% of their salary for all the time they miss when a budget deal finally is reached.

[surf]

Keep it shutdown. The GOP offered to raise spending 6% to match the 6% increase in taxes over the last two years. Dayton and the DFL socialists threw a hissy fit and insisted that anything less than a 24% spending raise is a "draconian cut". Obviously the Strib and Pioneer Press have been trolling out propaganda pieces about oh how much pain those evil conservatives are causing to the "little guy" because they only care about the richest 2%. It's sickening.

The government workers having been stealing Minnesotans money for over a century. And the sad thing is, they all have sweet union deals the require the state to pay them reimbursement of 1.5% of their salary for all the time they miss when a budget deal finally is reached.

Next up for Minnesotans: Vikings threaten to move to LA if public won't build new stadium. following that will be no more ice-fishing....

[Ninja Homer]

I just found out they also shut down privately run casinos, because they won't be able to pay government employees to meddle in their affairs properly. What a bunch of horseshit! I have a friend who works as a blackjack dealer. He actually makes most of his money playing poker. Now that the tables are shut down, he'll be playing online poker, sending his money out of state instead. Everything they've shut down is stuff the government really shouldn't be involved with anyway.

[anaconda]

Well, if it's really shut down, who is going to keep people from camping anyway? LOL

Maybe federal troops will patrol the grounds. Plus they can look for terror cells while they're at it.

[Danke]

following that will be no more ice-fishing....

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/samuel_L_Jackson.gif

You trying to start something!

[Matthew Zak]

Holy SHEEPSHIT. I didn't know they banned alcohol in the state parks! Ooopsies! :)

lol when did they do this?? *hides bottles*

[JamesButabi]

Its the point that Rand Paul always makes. When the government shuts down the first thing they do is shut off the lights at the baseball field. All theatre so people complain and the neverending debt filled compromise continues on.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Two Twin Cities' parents took their children to child care facilities as usual Friday, but worried about the weeks to come if a state government shutdown lingers. Courtney Bissener needs state child care assistance payments to put her three kids in child care this summer while she works as a radiologic technologist at a north metro clinic. Those assistance payments were deemed non-essential, though, and were halted today with the government shutdown.

Northside Child Development Center took her kids (ages 6, 4 and 1) today, and its leaders are discussing if (or how long) they can subsidize families who receive state child care support. Bissener, 22, is nervous. She earned a college degree in December and finally secured full-time work that could now be in jeopardy if she can't afford child care.

Let's see....3 kids at age 22, and one of those being 6, so she gave birth to her first one at 16. Wow, who could have figured she would have to deal with the challenges of that and why should she expect me or other folks subsidize her poor decisions? Perhaps she'll have to think outside the box, or find a babysitter on the cheap (these shouldn't be too hard to find), or family could watch them, etc. How about she starts a chip-in or some other voluntary measure...too bad the Welfare State destroyed Mutual Aid and Fraternal Orders...

[Danke]

Let's see....3 kids at age 22, and one of those being 6, so she gave birth to her first one at 16. Wow, who could have figured she would have to deal with the challenges of that and why should she expect me or other folks subsidize her poor decisions? Perhaps she'll have to think outside the box, or find a babysitter on the cheap (these shouldn't be too hard to find), or family could watch them, etc. How about she starts a chip-in or some other voluntary measure...too bad the Welfare State destroyed Mutual Aid and Fraternal Orders...


"In the absence of talks, the shutdown was rippling into the lives of people like Sonya Mills, a 39-year-old mother of eight facing the loss of about $3,600 a month in state child care subsidies."

[Anti Federalist]

NH doesn't ban beer in parks

[White Bear Lake]

Holy crap guys!!! I've been without my state government for a day AND I'M STILL ALIVE!!!

Seriously though, the evening news on WCCO was effing hilarious tonight. There was literally ONE protester at the capitol grounds and about TWENTY reporters up there surrounding him trying to get an interview. A typical government union shill. He sounded sincerely shocked that every citizen in the state wasn't in Saint Paul with pitchforks and torches demanding that the GOP stop catering to the rich.

[Danke]

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/07/01/good-question-government-shutdown-%E2%80%98reply-all%E2%80%99/#comment-187413

[GunnyFreedom]

Well, one thing I can happily say is that NC can not and will not shut down. We passed a budget, budget was vetoed, we picked up 5 Dems and overrode her veto. Budget is now law. NC is absolutely not facing a government shutdown of any sort. I'd like to say that's the only bright spot but it's not. We also passed castle doctrine, forced annexation reform, and a couple other good things.

[White Bear Lake]

Update:


In ‘'Closed' doesn't deter park visitors,’ Larry Oakes in July 2, 2011’s Star Tribune writes, “The gate was closed and the visitors center was locked, but hundreds of travelers still enjoyed the scenic splendor of Gooseberry Falls on Friday - even though all state parks are officially off-limits to the public as part of the government shutdown.” It seems many people are taking Emmer’s advice. Instead of meekly accepting the official park notices, visitors are streaming into Minnesota parks to enjoy the scenery and the beauty the state boasts about.

State officials weren’t too happy. However, dragging eleven year old girls kicking and screaming out of a nature area doesn’t exactly present a positive picture of our state governmental officials. Instead, the prog/soc’s issued grave warnings of peril.

“The state Department of Natural Resources, which manages state parks, is strongly advising visitors "not to enter the grounds of any state park during the shutdown." The agency's website offers this warning: "We are concerned about serious health, safety and security issues if visitors enter parks when there are no restroom facilities, water and staff available. For example, 911 calls might not be available due to lack of cell phone coverage."

Oh no!!! Can you imagine the horror of hiking through a park without a park staff member on hand to collect their entrance fee? What are visitors going to do without having a rest room or water readily available? It’s not like we have things like convenience stores and bottled water to rely on. Oh no. But my favorite little part of this warning is the cell phone coverage threat. Are they trying to suggest that cell phones rely on state government park facilities to operate? Are they really trying to scare people from visiting a park because Google might not be available? Did cell phone coverage suddenly become more sketchy because we aren’t collecting the permit fees?

This kind of ‘theater of the absurd’ isn’t unique to this shutdown. People in Minnesota are used to the nonsensical argument routinely pressed by our government officials. That’s why people are visiting the parks even though Sheriff Dayton has warned them away.

Backfire

This entire experiment by the Left and the DFL in Minnesota is instructive. We are watching them spin and lie and fabricate and without any real effect. They were so desperate to raise taxes on ‘the rich’, they were willing to give up all reason and sense to do so. We are now seeing just how worthless and wasteful these social experiments really are. We are starting to see that employing tens of thousands of state workers to push paper is stupid. We are watching as the existential threats of a government shutdown are all air and no substance. Antiseptic sunlight is exposing the hidden costs of liberal ideas. It’s time to start cutting. Not just because we can’t afford this mess, but because it goes to the very heart of our society and culture. If we are willing to give up governing to special dictators and reason to political patronage, we are rapidly moving in a very scary direction.

It’s time to dissect the whole operation, throughout the country.


http://www.looktruenorth.com/limited-government/daytons-shutdown/17008-qstocked-his-freezer-with-canned-goodsq-daytons-shutdown.html

[Matthew Zak]

Holy crap guys!!! I've been without my state government for a day AND I'M STILL ALIVE!!!

Seriously though, the evening news on WCCO was effing hilarious tonight. There was literally ONE protester at the capitol grounds and about TWENTY reporters up there surrounding him trying to get an interview. A typical government union shill. He sounded sincerely shocked that every citizen in the state wasn't in Saint Paul with pitchforks and torches demanding that the GOP stop catering to the rich.

Funny, I was in St. Paul yesterday and the only difference I noticed is that it was easier to get around. Less traffic.

[angelatc]

Northside Child Development Center took her kids (ages 6, 4 and 1) today, and its leaders are discussing if (or how long) they can subsidize families who receive state child care support. Bissener, 22, is nervous. She earned a college degree in December and finally secured full-time work that could now be in jeopardy if she can't afford child care.

How do these people end up with no friends or family to help them out?

[Matthew Zak]

Update:



http://www.looktruenorth.com/limited-government/daytons-shutdown/17008-qstocked-his-freezer-with-canned-goodsq-daytons-shutdown.html

I love gooseberry falls. But I've climbed all over those waterfalls and hills and I've hurt myself plenty doing so... the state didn't give a shit. I bought a hat from the gift shop.

[Matthew Zak]

"In the absence of talks, the shutdown was rippling into the lives of people like Sonya Mills, a 39-year-old mother of eight facing the loss of about $3,600 a month in state child care subsidies."

39 with 8 kids? One of those things has to be old enough to get a job by now...

[chudrockz]

I just wanted to report that the government here has been shut down for ELEVEN DAYS now, and happily, I'm still alive! :)

In fact, I haven't noticed a damn thing, other than not being able to buy lottery tickets, which are a ripoff and not very fun anyway.

[Michael Landon]

I just wanted to report that the government here has been shut down for ELEVEN DAYS now, and happily, I'm still alive! :)

In fact, I haven't noticed a damn thing, other than not being able to buy lottery tickets, which are a ripoff and not very fun anyway.

Me too. My wife and I have talked at length about how we wouldn't even know it was shut down if we didn't hear about it every five minutes on the TV and radio.

- ML

[Vessol]

Thread title is made of win.

I wish my State govt. would shut down.

With the exception of Glenn(a brave man in a pack of jackals), I hate my state government almost as much as the Federal government.

[White Bear Lake]

As the Minnesota state government shutdown enters its second week, the most newsworthy aspect of it may be how little most Minnesotans are being impacted by the shutdown and the observation that most residents of the North Star state don’t appear particularly concerned about it. Oh sure the Star Tribune still has a squad of reporters out digging in every nook and cranny and leaving no stone unturned to try to find the latest victim de jure, but the populace at large doesn’t seem to have bought into the idea that shuttering some government services is going to lead to chaos in the streets. In fact, the bodies aren’t piling up as predicted and life is going on pretty much as usual for most people. The resurrection of the Twins and the long awaited arrival of summer weather are more likely to be brought up in conversation these days and when the subject of the government shutdown is mentioned it’s usually greeted with a joke or dismissive disinterest. In general, Minnesotans’ response to the government shutdown has been to shrug our shoulders and issue a collective, “Meh.”


This apathy is probably a result of combination of two things. Firstly, Minnesotans now realize that while the government shutdown might be inconvenient at times, it’s not really all that hard to get by without those state services that are no longer available. Secondly, the turbulent economic times that we’ve experienced since 2008 have sapped the reserves of sympathy that people might have for state employees who are being directly impacted by the shutdown. Oh, so you’re having to deal with layoffs, salary freezes, and uncertainty about where your next paycheck is coming from and when? Gee, those of us who work in the private sector have no idea what that must be like.

This non-reaction reaction has to be concerning to the big government crowd out there. If they expected that the shutdown would cause the citizens of Minnesota to be at the barricades agitating for higher taxes on their behalf, they’ve been sadly mistaken. The very threat of a government shutdown has long been one of their most effective PR weapons to influence public opinion and prod poll-driven politicians towards settlements favorable to their terms. But what if it turns out that the “Big One” which they just dropped is really a dud? What if finally following through on their threat to “go nuclear” doesn’t result in a bang but a whimper? What have they got left? Next time, we’re going to shutdown more government? The longer this particular shutdown goes on the weaker their case becomes. And at this point, most Minnesotans don’t seem all that worried about that.

http://www.looktruenorth.com/limited-government/daytons-shutdown/17103-what-if-they-shut-the-government-down-a-nobody-cared-.html

This is definitely blowing up in Dayton's face. Now today he's claiming he'll hold out till the end of his term if he can't get "a fair budget for Minnesotans." (aka more taxes and more government up the wazzo) Oh please do!!

[Kylie]

How do these people end up with no friends or family to help them out?

Suck them dry, then burn the bridge.


I've dealt with people like that. No respect for themselves, therefore, no respect for anyone else.

It's sad, really.

[Danke]

Horse track advocates
fear long-term
shutdown could destroy
racing community in
Minnesota

By Dennis Lien
dlien@pioneerpress.com

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_18474042?source=rss

Updated: 07/13/2011 11:56:06 PM CDT

As he has for decades, Joe Palma provides feed and
bedding for horses at Canterbury Park. But he
doesn't know how, when or if he'll ever get paid for
it.

That, he said, is what can happen when a horse
track suddenly closes, throwing more than 1,000
people out of work, barring 1,200 horses from
racing and ending the flow of purse money that is
the lifeblood of Minnesota's horse-racing industry.

"I've been with these people for 30 years," Palma
said, noting the tight-knit atmosphere that binds
people at the Shakopee track while they hold out
hope that their collective nightmare will end soon.

With Minnesota's government shutdown headed for
its third week, the casualties - closed state parks
and highway rest areas and no lottery tickets - are
becoming clearer to everyone. But at Canterbury
Park, there's a sense of collateral damage.

When Republican legislators and Democratic Gov.
Mark Dayton failed to reach a budget agreement by
July 1, racing at Canterbury Park and Running Aces
Harness Track in Columbus was suspended because
the government agency regulating racing, the
Minnesota Racing Commission, closed shop. The
tracks, which had already paid for that regulation,
asked Ramsey County Chief District Judge Kathleen
Gearin to allow it to continue, but she ruled against
them.

Canterbury Park President and CEO Randy Sampson
said the track has since asked Gearin to reconsider
but hasn't received a response.

Without action soon, Sampson and Tom Metzen,
head of

the Minnesota branch of the Horsemen's Benevolent
and Protective Association, fear racing, along with
the community that sustains it, could unravel in
Minnesota or be severely damaged.

"We talk about 1,000 being unemployed," Metzen
said. "But there'll be another 2,500 out of work if
this place doesn't open up shortly."

With jockeys, trainers, assistants and riders a highly
mobile lot, the effect could have an even broader
long-term impact.

For example, Metzen said he persuaded a prominent
trainer with several assistants and 20 horses to
come to Minnesota for this year's racing season
instead of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

That trainer and others, all of whom pay rents and
otherwise bolster the local economy, could go
elsewhere and not come back, Metzen said.

"If they choose to leave, what do you think my
chances are of talking (them) into coming back here
next year?" Metzen said.

At a rally at Canterbury Park, two Republican
lawmakers, Sen. Claire Robling of Jordan and Rep.
Michael Beard of Shakopee, urged Dayton again
Wednesday to call a special legislative session that
could lead to the track's reopening. Dayton
repeatedly has said he needs an agreement on the
entire budget package first.
advertisement

Robling and Beard also made another pitch for
casino gambling at the two tracks, which they
contend could bring in up to $200 million in new
revenue per biennium. While that idea hasn't gone
anywhere within the Republican caucus, Dayton has
said he's open to considering new forms of revenue.

Beard, meanwhile, said more Republicans than ever
are receptive to racinos.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "It's not as long a shot as it
was."

Beard said he also wishes Dayton would join in
asking the judge to reconsider opening Canterbury
Park. Dayton's lawyer, however, already has argued
against that push.

In other shutdown action Wednesday, members of
DFL constituency caucuses held a news conference
on the state Capitol steps outlining what they said
are impacts on their members from budgets
proposed by Republicans and from the two-week
government shutdown.

They cited higher education costs, reduced options
for senior citizens to live independently, reductions
in services to disabled people and weakened
opportunities to address human rights complaints.

"We've come a long way as disabled people and
become integrated into society, and now I feel like
I'm being forced back into the shadows, and that's
not what we want to see happen," said Debra Burke
Owens.

Dennis Lien can be reached at 651-228-5588.

[osan]

This article illustrates not only the whining attitude of entitlement by the social parasite contingent, but also what a cluster-copulation is the nanny state.

Rather than seeking alternative means, free-market means, of funding all the fun and games, they complain and whine about how badly we need government to "come back"... as if it had really gone anywhere.

I also noticed how the governor is holding the tracks hostage in an all or nothing bid to get what he and his handlers want, a package deal on the budget. Their compassion and concern for "the people" is so apparent.

[Dreamofunity]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/125459928.html


Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes -- a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.

I think the article is suppose to make me hope the Minnesota state government can come to a budget agreement quickly, but all I can think about is how ridiculous liquor licensing is.